Product Description

Fire and Steel

GERMANIA

Germania and the Holy Roman Empire

By the time of Christ and the Christian era, the Roman Empire, with its insatiable quest for land, riches, slaves, and power, had swallowed up much of the European continent. One could leave the Roman capital and travel in a northwesterly direction on well-maintained Roman roads for 1,200 miles.

But if one traveled due north, up the long boot of Italia and across the Alps, one quickly reached the northern border of the empire. In the vast lands to the north of the Danube River and to the east of the Rhine lived a collection of tribes so fierce, so warlike, and so incapable of being civilized that eventually the Roman legions fortified the southern border of those lands and left the people alone. Caesar called that unconquerable north land with all of its dozens of tribes Germania.

The Germani were not farmers other than having small garden plots cultivated by individual families. They were hunters and warriors. No one owned land as permanent property. Each year the tribal chiefs would assign land to the clans, who then parceled it out to their people. But the next year, everyone was impelled to move to a new place so that the people didn’t become focused on the land and lose their zeal for war. This also kept them from building permanent shelters against the cold and the heat. Too much comfort weakened the character, they thought.

The men generally each had one wife, and adultery was rare. The opinions of women were respected to the point that they often accompanied the men into battle to give them counsel and encouragement. Robbery among their own people was not tolerated, but it was encouraged when it involved outsiders. Often, senior chieftains would lead plundering expeditions to give the young men experience in battle and help them avoid idleness. To the Germani peoples, the highest glory was to lay waste to lands bordering their territory, thus making them uninhabitable. They saw this as proof of their valor. It also kept their borders secure from invasion.

The Germani did not keep written records, so not much is known about them from the ensuing centuries. They must have consolidated the tribes to some degree, because when the French King Charlemagne was appointed to be the first ruler of what came to be known as the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Germany was largest group within it. In the minds of Germans ever after, the Holy Roman Empire came to be known as the First German Reich.

The Protestant Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War

After Charlemagne’s death, the empire limped along for centuries, almost dissolving due to the weak leadership of Charlemagne’s successors. Then in AD 962, Otto I, Duke of Saxony and king of Germany, was crowned emperor by the pope. The former rights held by the Roman Caesars now rested in German hands.

Otto immediately set about to unify the Germanic tribes under the leadership of a central government. However, the fiercely independent spirit that had kept the Germani unconquerable for so many centuries was not so easily quelled. Powerful kings and princes were on the rise in other countries. Ruling dynasties brought stability and consistency to their subjects, often over many generations. Not so in Germany. As the centuries came and went, Germany remained a hopelessly fragmented, impossibly crazy patchwork of over 300 separate states.

The Protestant Reformation swept across Europe with hurricane force beginning with Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. But Luther’s impact on Germany went far beyond his Protestant vision of Christianity. His German Bible provided a standardized language for the people and became a powerful unifying influence. His doctrines of the freedom of individual conscience electrified the people and changed the culture profoundly. People were motivated to study and learn for themselves. Literacy rates increased. The arts and commerce thrived. Prosperity rose. Many of the Protestant German princes extended new freedoms to their people. A new sense of German pride and German nationalism began to develop.

Inevitably, the Reformation also brought war. These were considered issues of eternal consequence. The divisions became so bitter and acrimonious that both sides took up the sword to defend their faith. Rulers all across Europe were forced to decide where they stood. Soon all of Europe was divided into two major religious camps.

About a hundred years after Martin Luther’s bold action, one of the most devastating of the religious wars began. In this case it was not solely about religion. Competing dynasties were jockeying for power. Savage war raged across Europe off and on for three decades, earning the conflict the name the Thirty Years’ War.

Germany lay right in the center of the conflict and was hit the hardest. Entire regions were utterly devastated. Thousands of towns and villages were destroyed. One-third of the population was lost to war, famine, disease, or being hauled off as slaves.

In the end, the Thirty Years’ War virtually snuffed out every sign of the surge in culture, learning, arts, and commerce that had resulted from the Reformation. The Germany that was rapidly becoming one of the fountains of European civilization disappeared as a tidal wave of barbarism returned. Civilization came to a standstill in Germany while the rest of Europe moved forward into the new age. In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the German character became ingrained with a fatalistic acceptance of tyranny, autocratic and capricious rule, and suppression of law and human rights.

The strongest steel is forged in the hottest flames. From master storyteller Gerald N. Lund comes a new blockbuster series chronicling the lives of two families who will face some of the most turbulent times in history as they are tried to their very cores. Will they be tempered and strengthened by the hammering blows, will they bend to the point of breaking, or will they completely shatter?

As volume one begins, life could not be more promising for the Eckhardts. They finally have a son, Hans, the male heir they have longed for and a child of such brilliance and promise that his success seems certain. But as youthful Hans’s ambition takes him away from his family and their small Bavarian village, the winds of unrest in Europe are about to erupt into the greatest war the world has ever known.

Kicking off a story that will cross generations—and continents—the Eckhardts must brace themselves to weather the storms and turmoil that lie ahead. Only through sheer determination and fortitude will they be able to pass through the refiner’s fire and come out stronger and more united than ever before.

Unabridged audio book

Product Details

Pages

608

Audiobook Narrator

Kirby Heyborne

Runtime

Unabridged: 8 Hrs.56 Min.

About the Author

Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.

Reviews

Average rating:

(based upon 8 reviews)

A Rising GenerationBy Zora Sorenson, Submitted on 2016-04-27

I just finished reading this book. I learned so much about World War 1. I love how he brings in fictional people, but at the same time he brings in real people during that time period. Was a awesome book. I'm looking forward to reading Volume 2 in this series.

Fun and historical readBy Lauren, Submitted on 2016-03-22

'Fire and Steel' is a historical novel, and as a result the first part of the book is spent building the setting that the story takes place. This makes the book a great read for those looking to learn a little more about WWI, or for those simply looking to learn something new. The story really didn't pick up for me until I was 1/3 of the way in. Once the story does pick up, it's an engaging story that will have you waiting for Vol. 2.

I first read the physical copy, and would recommend it to young adults. At the end of each chapter, there are additional notes that describe events and facts about the time period. The book is a bit of a heavy read, so I would suggest the audio book to those that have a hard time reading at a fast pace. The audio book would be good for adults commuting work or during free time. The narrator was not exceptional, but kept me hooked on the story during a long road trip.

Overall, a great read. I can't wait to get started on the next volume!

Looking forward to reading more!By Melanie, Submitted on 2015-03-11

I've read lots of books about WWII but not as many about WWI. I didn't realize that it was called the Great War until after World War II broke out. Since this is the first book in the series, there was a lot of set up, which I thought was interesting even though it slowed the story down somewhat.

Hans and Inga Eckhardt were finally blessed with a son who they named Hans Otto Eckhardt. They were grateful to have a son who would one day run their milk farm. However, Hans was spoiled and intelligent and his father set him on a different path by sending him to school when he was young. He eventually went away to school and made some decisions that saddened his parents. They always let him know they loved him and helped him understand the consequences of his choices.

While at school, Hans met the missionaries and introduced them to his family. He considered them friends and wasn't interested in them teaching him anything. This introduction did impact some members of his family, though, and it will be interesting to see what this will mean in the future.

I liked the chapter notes that explained more about what was happening during different times. The author explained what happened to the missionaries during that time. One scene was tough to read and brought the reality of their situation to life. I enjoyed all the characters and am looking forward to getting to know them better as the series progresses.

This story started out kind of slow and moved much faster during the second half. Gerald Lund has written many books and, just like his others, this book is well written and well researched. At the end, there was a major twist and I'm excited to read more!

AN AMAZING BOOK!By Shauna Wheelwright, Submitted on 2015-03-06

This book is often pitched as a World War I historical fiction...
and it is...but it is also oh. so. much. more!

It is about a family that will live during the most difficult times in history.

They are the Eckhardt family and after three daughters they finally have a son.

A son who turns out to be brilliant.

A son who is doted upon.

A son who is given the chance for an education beyond the normal peasant child.

But Hans is also young and foolish and caught up in the unrest that is descending upon the world.

Choosing to go to the battlefront instead of the University will change young Hans' perception of the world and of mankind.

As this book is so appropriately titled this family will go through a fire so unquenchable that they will either become stronger like steel or they will break and shatter.

Follow the Eckhardt family as they first-hand witness "an explosion of technology"-- electricity, the telephone, the automobile...

And as they battle to live through the "War to End All Wars."

AN AMAZING BOOK!
AN AMAZING TIME IN HISTORY!
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!

Ah-mazing!By Marsha , Submitted on 2015-02-25

I've read almost all of Mr. Lund's book and this one is my favorite. I couldn't put this book down, he has you hooked by the end of the first page. I can't wait for volume 2!

Loved the book. It starts a little slow but that is needed to understand the time in history this story is happening in. By end of book you can't wait for next volumeBy leslie, Submitted on 2015-02-25

I can tell this is going to be a great series to read. I love historical fiction and the author does a good job of setting up the culture and life styles during this period of history. The further you get into the book the more interesting the book gets. By the end you can't wait to get the next volume.

Great Book and I love learning historyBy Shauna, Submitted on 2015-02-25

I have so enjoyed this book. I love the history part of the book. Gerald Lund always finds a way to make it so interesting to history come alive and make you want to go and learn more about the topic that you are reading about. I love all of his books. I always learn something from them.
I have never understood World War 1 and this brings the war to life.